Unpacking...

[kmb584]

I pack with packing cubes and then almost completely unpack once we've been assigned a villa and our luggage is delivered. Tops and dresses are hung in the closet, shorts, capris, and pajamas are folded and placed into drawers. The only items that I leave in packing cubes are our tanks, underwear, and socks [packing cubes with those go from suitcase to drawer] and my smaller toiletries [instead of bringing large bottles, I order almost all of my skincare products in packets from Paula's Choice before we leave as they travel lighter].

 

[BarbMike821]

We're unpackers. I feel more comfortable knowing where everything is once we unload.

 

[Dis703]

We half unpack I guess. I hang most of my stuff to get some of the wrinkles out and take out my ziploc bags with all of my daily necessities but leave them in the ziploc. I take a stack of the kids outfits out and put them in a drawer but still use our suitcase throughout our trip.

 

[brittsmum1998]

Could someone explain what these packing cubes are? I am drawing a blank.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I prefer to live out of my suitcase.... on the go = no time to unpack. Everything I take is easy care and if it wrinkles, oh well! I have never much been a fan of putting anything in drawers in a hotel room.... too many thoughts about what might have been in there before I arrived.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Could someone explain what these packing cubes are? I am drawing a blank.

There are a bunch of varieties of them but mine are these:

 

[McKelly]

We usually go for ten nights. We partially unpack. There is not enough room for all of us to unpack. I try to hang my tops and put my shorts in a drawer. The rest of the drawers are taken up by my kids' clothing. Everybody's underwear/socks are in a Ziploc. My DH keeps his clothing in a suitcase and works out of that. I like the idea of those cubes for the hotel room to help keep things organized. I just ordered some from Amazon and will bring a few.

 

[Babsy]

Could someone explain what these packing cubes are? I am drawing a blank.

They are cube shaped soft zippered pouches. They come in a variety of sizes and colours and often have a mesh top through which you can see what you have packed in them. Mine also have a small spot where you can place a small round sticker that shows a picture of a tank top or a pair of shorts or other clothing item. You can also add these to further illustrate what is inside. They fit very nicely into luggage and keep everything tidy and organized, so it is like everything has its own space within your luggage. I roll the items that I put in there so that you can see everything at a glance through the mesh.

If you want to pack/unpack you can simply pull out these and put them in the drawers. You usually only have 5-6 of these so it only takes a minute to toss them in a drawer. Also, they keep your clothes from touching what might be in that drawer if you don't want to Lysol wipe it.

If you don't unpack, everything stays organized in your suitcase. I think of my suitcase as the equivalent of a dresser and the cubes as the equivalent of a drawer.

They are especially helpful if you go on a tour (like in Europe, for example) where you are moving hotels every other day. It was in Italy that I fell in love with these. Now, I never travel without them. They just make travelling so much easier and more organized for me.

There are a bunch of varieties of them but mine are these:

View attachment 245295

Yes, that is what they generally look like!!!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We unpack and have a system. We also stack everywhere. First thing we do is hang up shirts and decide what to iron and what to say meh.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We bring Downy wrinkle release spray to minimize the ironing.

 

[AngiTN]

Nope, never. I hate packing so I'm not about to unpack only to have to repack yet again. Doesn't matter if we are there 1 night or 10

 

[cluvsdisney]

If we're someplace for more than one night, I unpack. It doesn't take long and I like feeling settled in. Plus it's just easier for us to see everything instead of digging in the suit case.

For toiletries, I put everything liquid in a zip lock them into one of those plastic shoe boxes which I also put into a plastic bag. The hard plastic is another layer of protection for the bottles and is additional storage for bathroom stuff in the room.

I keep meaning to check out packing cubes. I might get a set or two for our next vacation. Are they all created equal or is one brand better than another?

 

[AngiTN]

I keep meaning to check out packing cubes. I might get a set or two for our next vacation. Are they all created equal or is one brand better than another?

I do not believe they are all created equal.
I have the ones from eBags, Amazon and a third really cheap knockoff from Amazon.
The best by far are from eBags. Amazon are fine, the off brand are just that, cheap. Zippers snag all the time. Even the Amazon branded ones just don't have the same sturdiness to them. The eBags are excellent. They are all I'll by now. eBags has 2 types now, I have the older, standard ones. They are fine. No need to get the lighter, more expensive, unless you just want to

 

[cluvsdisney]

I do not believe they are all created equal.
I have the ones from eBags, Amazon and a third really cheap knockoff from Amazon.
The best by far are from eBags. Amazon are fine, the off brand are just that, cheap. Zippers snag all the time. Even the Amazon branded ones just don't have the same sturdiness to them. The eBags are excellent. They are all I'll by now. eBags has 2 types now, I have the older, standard ones. They are fine. No need to get the lighter, more expensive, unless you just want to

Thanks! EBags is the brand I've heard the most but every once in a while I'll some super deal for another brand and wonder if it's worth it. Even though I know you frequently get what you pay for.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thanks! EBags is the brand I've heard the most but every once in a while I'll some super deal for another brand and wonder if it's worth it. Even though I know you frequently get what you pay for.

Mine were bought at Marshalls in fall of 2015 I believe but I haven't seen them since then there. Mine are Sharper Image brand (see my earlier pic). They've held up well. I want to say they were something like $19.99 plus tax but my mom works there so she got a slight discount on it.

I perused Amazon recently and they've got lots of options it seemed with a multitude of brands including eBags and different price points.

 

[maxiesmom]

Thanks! EBags is the brand I've heard the most but every once in a while I'll some super deal for another brand and wonder if it's worth it. Even though I know you frequently get what you pay for.

I have both EBags and Eagle Creek. And they both are holding up nicely.

 

[toonaspie]

Depends on how long you're staying as well as the room configuration. I would only used the drawers that conventionally placed for best access with plenty of space. If the drawers and shelves are cramped or in an inconvenient area (like to the side of the bed), I don't bother with them.